Ching: Mickelson holds a clear advantage in final round

The loudest sonic booms are typically reserved for Sundays, but someone in the field will have to do something truly special to top the roar Phil Mickelson elicited from the Masters gallery on Saturday.

I was standing along the 14th fairway when Mickelson holed a 141-yard approach with his third shot, becoming only the third player in Masters history to eagle two consecutive holes.

As the left-hander raised his arms to the sky and high-fived caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay, everyone within a mile radius instinctively knew what Mickelson had just done.

"There was no need to look at the scoreboard," said leader Lee Westwood, who was three groups behind Mickelson when the roar echoed through the course.

The crowd was already at a fever pitch when Mickelson's eagle on the par-5 13th pushed him to 9 under - and he received a standing ovation from the patrons in the tee-box grandstand on No. 14 when he approached.

One shot later, he dunked his approach and nearly erased Westwood's five-shot advantage in three swings of the club. He needed only two more strokes to briefly surpass the Englishman, as his approach on the par-4 15th rolled within inches of an unprecedented third consecutive eagle - setting up an easy birdie that put him at 12 under.

As the throng of electrified fans left the course on Saturday, it seemed as if Mickelson had already won his third green jacket. So what if he's choked away numerous prime opportunities to win major championships, his third-round surge made it seem as if a victory today is his destiny.

Westwood - Europe's top player, who has yet to win a major - has unquestionably played brilliantly thus far, carding rounds of 67-69-68 to carry a one-stroke advantage into today's final round.

But Mickelson created the magic on Saturday, and he has dominated the back nine thus far, playing that often-tricky set of holes at a blistering 9-under pace through 54 holes.

If today comes down to back-nine shot-making, it's hard to imagine Westwood being the guy who emerges from the final pairing as the champion.

If there is a bad omen to Mickelson's eagle-eagle run, it's this: Dan Pohl was the first to card consecutive eagles in Masters play, which he also accomplished on 13 and 14 in the third round of the 1982 Masters.

Pohl went on to tie Craig Stadler for the 72-hole lead, only to lose in the tournament's first-ever one-hole playoff.

Dan Pohl was no Phil Mickelson, however.

Mickelson is a genuine star who, despite his mind-boggling shot selection at times, is nearly impossible to beat when he's at his best.

That's where he seems to be as today's final round approaches. And that's why he has to be the favorite to be suited in green as dusk settles in tonight at Augusta.